The New Queen's Journey
by foxy11814
Summary: This picks up where the movie leaves off. Snow White is now the Queen of Tabor and she finds herself in many new situations that she had never even thought possible when she had been locked up in the tower. Unfortunately, most of these situations deal with the hearts of many, including her own.
1. Chapter 1

_I had been thinking about this story ever since I watched the movie a long time ago, but I only decided recently to finally write it. This picks up where the movie leaves off. I hope you enjoy it and there will be more chapters if enough of you are interested in joining me, so let me know what you think, please!_

The New Queen's Journey

Snow White stood in her bedchamber and stared in front of her. In the mirror, she saw a woman she hardly recognized. She had been locked away for many years in the tower and had only seen her reflection a few times since she was a child. Now, she was grown and had a crown on her head. She was Queen of Tabor. Finally, she had taken her rightful place as her father's successor, and while she was happy at the fact, she still felt a little overwhelmed…

A loud knock resounded through her room and she made her way to the door. As soon as she opened it, William bowed and said, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I just wanted to check and make sure you were well since you retired so early." He lifted his eyes and smiled at her.

She grinned at her childhood friend and replied, "I'm fine, William. I just wanted to be alone for a little while. Today was rather hectic with the coronation and I wanted some time to relax and get used to this." She motioned to the crown before taking it off, walking to her dresser, and setting it down.

William remained at the door and asked almost timidly, "May I come in, Your Highness?"

She turned around and exclaimed, "Yes, of course! You never asked permission when we were kids." She looked a little startled and he shrugged.

"Yes, well, you're the queen now and we're not exactly family. I could be a suitor, after all."

Snow White looked down at her hands and said, "You've always been my best friend. Even when I was alone in the tower, I thought of you that way, so I don't want you treating me any differently now."

He smiled brightly and replied, "It'll be as you wish."

She smiled and turned to face him. "Good. So, I suppose since you're here, people have been asking after me. Let's go back out there, so I can show my face some more to the people and watch the celebration."

She stepped towards the door, but William quickly shouted, "Wait!"

When she stopped, he ran across the room, grabbed her crown, and placed it back on her head. "You can't forget this," he mumbled.

She pursed her lips together and nodded once before walking out. William extended his arm and she took it as they headed back towards the throne room.

=)=)=)

The festivities were in full swing when she walked through the doors. There were dozens of large groups spread throughout the room and everyone had goblets, which were undoubtedly filled with some of the kingdom's best liquor available, in their hands. As a result, laughter was everywhere and a genuine feeling of merriment pervaded the entire atmosphere.

Letting go of William's arm, she made her way back to the throne. She was walking up the small steps when she heard a deep voice say behind her questioningly, "So, you do not wish to socialize with your people, Princess?"

She immediately grinned and turned around to face Eric. She bit her lip for a moment as she looked around and replied, "Queen. And, it's not that. It's just that I don't really know everyone and I don't know how I should act just yet." She shrugged.

He held out his hand to her and she quickly took it as she walked towards him. When her feet were on the main floor once more, he whispered, "You had several groups of men and women watching you when you came in. If I hadn't walked over, they would have been over here begging for your company. I had the feeling you don't necessarily want to be put in that situation just yet."

She glanced around the room more carefully this time and noticed the many eyes that were resting on her. She looked up and said, "I don't know why I feel so awkward. I know they want me here, and I do know this is where I belong, but…it's just so new and unexpected after everything."

"Give yourself some time. Everything will fall into place soon enough."

She looked up at his face as his eyes ran across the room. She knew he was taking it all in like he had in the Dark Forest. He was looking for dangers that were hidden in the masses. "What do you see, Huntsman? Any threats tonight?" she asked amusedly.

He smiled softly, but it faded as his eyes met William's. The duke's son was scowling. Eric immediately turned to her and whispered, "Threats are a part of life, Princess, and they're everywhere. The larger question is what they are threatening and if you should fight it."

Snow White had seen where Eric's eyes had rested before he looked at her. She had especially taken note of the looks that William and he had shared with one another. William had looked angry whereas Eric had looked sad. She was fairly sure nothing had happened between them since she had killed Ravenna, so she didn't understand the tension. "Is everything okay?" she questioned, gripping his arm softly.

"Yes, everything is fine," he answered without hesitation. "Tomorrow, I will be leaving." When her jaw dropped, he explained, "You have now regained your proper place in the world, so I need to do the same."

Snow White tightened her hold on his arm and exclaimed, "You're leaving? But I thought you would stay! I…I thought…"

He frowned and mumbled, "What would I stay for? The castle is no place for a huntsman..."

He pulled away from her gently and began to walk away. She followed and called out softly to not draw attention to them, "Huntsman? Huntsman?"

He kept walking and eventually William made his way to her. He rested a hand on her shoulder and questioned, "What's going on?"

"He's leaving in the morning," she reported sadly. "He said he is going back to his village."

William smiled and said, "That's probably for the best. We have disrupted his life enough, wouldn't you agree?"

Her eyes met his for a moment and then looked back at Eric's retreating form.

=)=)=)

In the morning before dawn had even hinted over the horizon, Eric made his way outside the castle. He knew in his heart that it would be almost unbearable to say goodbye to Snow White, so he decided to simply leave. He knew it would be the best for everyone involved. He would only be in the way, after all. As he had said last night, the castle was no place for him. He was a huntsman, a commoner. He had no place at the queen's side regardless of what they had been through together…She was safe now. That much was obvious.

Besides, he knew what the future held. Everyone throughout the kingdom was already talking about it: they wanted Snow White and William, Duke Hammond's son, to marry. He didn't want to be around to watch it happen. Already, the mere notion clinched his heart.


	2. Chapter 2

The New Queen's Journey Chapter 2

Snow White walked slowly through the courtyard and kicked her feet out slowly every time she crossed a pebble to get it off the walkway. The mindless activity was the only thing she felt like doing after waking that morning to discover that Eric was already gone.

A million thoughts bombarded her mind and she hardly knew which one to express. At first, she felt incredibly sad. Since he had discovered her in the Dark Forest, they had always been together for the most part. He had been there for her entire transition to queen…and now, he was gone. As soon as she realized she would probably never see him in the castle again, anger grew. The last time he left her she had almost been captured. A whole village had burned to the ground. What would happen now?

She knew those observations and that question was hardly fair. They were no longer under Ravenna's rule. No one was going to storm the castle and burn it to the ground…at least, she hoped not. The Huntsman was doing what any other man would have probably done. He had helped her to find her way home and now he was returning to his.

She knew she had to accept that.

"There you are!" a voice exclaimed as she sat down on a stone bench in the middle of the flower garden she had walked into.

She sighed and glanced at William as he sat beside her.

"I missed you at breakfast this morning," he said. He said it so inquisitively that she knew he was really questioning why.

She shrugged and stated simply, "I wasn't hungry."

They sat there silently for almost a minute before William suddenly bounced off the seat to face her. "Snow, please don't tell me this is about the Huntsman leaving this morning!"

She immediately looked up and pursed her lips disapprovingly. She knew William would be able to read her like a book—he always had as a child, but she wasn't happy with his attitude about it. "He's my friend," she replied with a tinge of annoyance in her tone. "How can I not feel saddened by his departure? He's been here at my side through _everything_. You cannot expect me to not feel his sudden absence, William. That's not fair."

He sighed and sat down beside her. "You are quite right. I'm sorry, Your Highness."

Snow closed her eyes and took the crown off of her head. "Don't," she mumbled.

"Don't what?" He seemed surprised, so she explained.

"Don't remind me about this." She lifted the crown from her lap and waved it slightly.

William's jaw hit the ground figuratively. "What are you saying? Do you regret becoming queen already?"

She huffed through her nose and shook her head. "Of course not. I am happy to have helped so many people with just my presence on the throne. I just…so many changes are occurring because of this crown. I went from hardly no one speaking with me; to being a normal, social person; to people treating me like a queen in a relatively short period of time. It's jarring. I already told you that I didn't want you addressing me as anything but your friend."

William reached a hand out and grabbed hers. He tightened his hold after a few seconds and said, "I'm sorry, Snow. I will try my best, but you must realize that when we're in public, I must address you as the queen. That's unavoidable."

"Well, we're not in public now," she replied.

He looked around and they both saw gardeners in the distance. "For the most part," he agreed.

They sat there for a few more minutes until finally Snow White spoke again softly. "Do you think we'll ever see Eric again?"

William didn't answer verbally. He merely shrugged.

=)=)=)

The Huntsman had already reached his home before the sun had reached its highest point in the sky. On the way there, he had tried to keep his mind blank, but it just didn't happen. Every step had felt like agony. The last time he had left Snow White, chaos had erupted. The last time he had let her out of his sight, she had almost died. He had let her down both times, so the fact that he willingly left again was painful, but he knew it was something that must be done.

"Huntsman," a voice yelled out. "Are you home for good? We heard about you helping the queen in your absence! Well done!"

Eric looked up to see the John, the local blacksmith. "Aye, I'm home for good now," he replied. He ignored discussing the queen.

The blacksmith continued walking and simply waved a hand at Eric's response. He was on his way to work, and Eric supposed he should do the same. Walking inside his house, he grabbed a bow-and-arrow, as well as several knives to replace the ones he had lost or broken during his ordeal with Snow White. With a firm closing of the door, he headed for the center of town, the marketplace. There he would be able to talk to the merchants to find out the prices of animal hides and meats and most importantly what they needed.

=)=)=)

Snow White sat on the throne and looked around slowly. Court was in session, but she had no idea what she was really supposed to be doing. It looked like a big social gathering of the aristocracy. She remembered when her father had held court when she was a child. She did remember that it sometimes seemed like a big party, but most of the time, her father had discussed matters of the kingdom with people who had begged an audience with him.

After all of the devastation that had been inflicted on her people by Ravenna, she doubted highly that no one had anything to ask of her. She knew it was possible that Duke Hammond and the others were keeping those obligations from her as she got used to her new role. Of course, how could she become a good queen if they hid those requests and other such things from her? Then again, she knew it was possible the people themselves had not come. After all, they were so used to receiving no help that they probably stayed away out of habit and were simply happy that the Dark Queen was no longer in power.

She thought about this for several moments and realized if she really wanted to get in contact with her people and know about their problems, she would have to go to them.

The thought made her heartbeat increase, because not only was she eager to help, she also thought about the possibility of running into Eric. She had no idea where he lived and she was shocked that in all of their travels, she had not thought to ask. Did he live in the city, or did he live in one of the surrounding villages? If she had to take a guess, she would say the latter. He was a Huntsman after all, so his sport was out in those rural areas and not the city.

Rising suddenly, she lifted a finger at Duke Hammond. William and he came to stand before her instantly.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Duke Hammond said as he knelt on the throne before her. William dropped to his knees a moment after his father when the duke had poked him in the leg.

Snow White frowned at the ritual they displayed and said immediately, "Rise. I wish to speak with you face-to-face like normal people."

William immediately sprung up whereas the duke got up slowly and looked at her questioningly.

"Is something wrong, my queen?" the duke asked.

"No," she answered quickly. "I just realized that all of this…" She fanned her hand out over the throne room. "…is rather pointless. I want to see my people. I want to hear about the troubles they will face now that we are trying to restore the kingdom to the glory it once had."

William smiled gently at her and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Snow White grinned. He did know her so well. "I want to travel throughout the kingdom today. I want to see their homes and villages. I want to talk to them. After all, I cannot help them if I do not know what ails them."

Duke Hammond wrinkled his brow and immediately replied, "That's a very nice sentiment, Your Highness, but I believe it is unfeasible at this time. It's too dangerous."

Snow White turned startled eyes on her father's oldest friend and asked, "What do you mean?"

He shrugged as if it were a fact that she should already know. "The palace guard and the army consisted of Ravenna's followers. Sure, many of those have died in the battle and out of those who have lived, most have sworn loyalty to you, but the fact remains that Ravenna might still have followers out there. She couldn't have stayed in power this long if she did not have people to support her, and quite frankly, we do not have the number of men available to protect the castle and go on an excursion with you. It's safer to remain here until we build up our numbers of guardsmen and soldiers."

The queen looked down at her hands for a moment before looking back up determinedly. "Then, I will not go as their queen. Most do not know what I look like yet. I will go with Will alone."

The Duke gasped and said, "Your Majesty! That is much too dangerous!"

She merely lifted her brow and said, "It is my wish, and as queen, I need to start somewhere. This is how I will begin."

=)=)=)

Snow White knew Duke Hammond had given William many instructions to abide by as they went on this trip. At first, she thought they would merely travel the countryside freely and carefree as they had when they were children, but she soon discovered her mistake. William rode on his horse at her side but kept his eyes plastered on their surroundings. He hadn't looked at her once since leaving the city.

"Is this how our entire trip is going to be made, Will?" she asked finally. "Uncomfortable silences while you look for an enemy that will not show?"

William frowned as he finally looked at her and exclaimed, "It is my job to protect you. I cannot do that if we are suddenly ambushed."

She furrowed her brow in contemplation and asked, "Do you really believe I'm in danger?"

He sighed and said, "I don't think so, but the truth is no one expected anything when your father died. It happened so suddenly. That has taught all of us to be vigilant at all times. Surely, you understand that, Snow."

She nodded reluctantly.

As they continued to travel through woods towards the first village near the castle, they fell into silence once more. Snow White decided to pass the time by looking at the scenery and the animals nearby. The truth was the area did not resemble the nightmares she had at night. In those dreams, she saw dried and deadened trees. No grass covered the ground and everything was barren. She could have sworn the kingdom had looked that way when she had escaped the tower, but as she looked around now, the lushness that surrounded her could not have bloomed in a couple of days. Surely, that was impossible…

Her contemplations kept her attention off of her surroundings. She merely rode beside William on her own horse, so it wasn't until her companion hissed and grabbed for his bow-and-arrow that she realized something was wrong.

William pointed his arrow in the distance on a figure that stood at least a hundred feet away. "Who are you?" he shouted, keeping his weapon aimed at the figure.

The person walked closer and as soon as they could make out each other's faces, Snow White gasped. It was him!

Eric frowned as his eyes glued onto Snow White and he spat, "What is _she_ doing here? She shouldn't have been allowed to leave the castle, especially without any guardsmen!"

Snow White lifted her brow in surprise as William lowered his weapon. "What do you think I am, Huntsman?" he asked, sounding more than a little perturbed.

Eric scrutinized William for several seconds before turning his attention back to Snow White. "Already looking for trouble, eh?"

She didn't know whether to scold him or smile at his manners. As always, Eric spouted his thoughts without paying any heed to etiquette. He spoke what was on his mind without any apologies and that's what she liked about him. What she didn't like was that he obviously didn't want her here. The realization made her frown. Did he not want her here because he was worried about her safety like he insinuated, or was that merely a veneer for a bigger motivation? Maybe he really had wanted to sever all ties and she ruined that with her presence.

Feeling tears well up in her eyes, she turned her head to the side to avoid both men's gazes.

Then she felt a hand tug at hers.

"Hey, Princess," she heard the Huntsman whisper. "I didn't mean anything by that. I just…" He paused when she looked at him. "I didn't expect to see you out here, that's all. It's dangerous."

She saw the concern in his eyes and she sighed in relief. She knew at the moment that he still cared about her and his words were spoken to merely protect her. It gave her hope.

=)=)=)

_Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think! Would you like to see this story continue? Thanks for reading, and a special thanks to those who commented and "followed" the story! Sorry if you see any glaring typos. I will fix that in the very near future if there are any. I'm having to hurry out the door but want to publish this!_


End file.
